Flashback
by Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad
Summary: We've waited two years and six months, and it's finally coming. Chapter 219. To celebrate, here's seven one shots written using the prompts from #219th Night Countdown. Salvation, Black and White, Musician, Resolution, Promise, Love, and Blame. Different POVs, no emphasis on any particular pairings, and just for fun. Celebrate with me!
1. Salvation

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of D. Gray-man, and I hardly own anything at all, actually. I don't own these characters, I don't own what they say, since this is taken almost verbatim from the manga, and I don't even own the idea for this story. It's part of the #219th night countdown. *shrug***

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219_ _th_ _Night_

 **Day 1** – Salvation " _I want to become a destroyer who can save."_

* * *

Dreams trickled through his mind quickly, lasting only seconds, and fading into black. Allen looked into the water as the face of a tired woman looked at him, bags under her eyes and a smile on her face. Her smile melted into the face of a sleeping child.

 _Mana..._

He was ill. He'd been sleeping for a month, and had yet to wake up. The others were whispering with furrowed eyebrows and slight frowns. Allen hated it.

 _Mana... You're awake?_

He felt a smile grow on his face, contradicting the river of tears. The feeling of water on his cheek and weighing down his eyelashes faded along with the dream, and the flat surface of the black lake Allen was staring into rippled. The scene of his father, no, _brother_ became fuzzy and Allen lost it. He had no time to think of it, as another scene opened up.

 _You're too soft, you know?_

There was an abandoned city in front of him. He felt stone steps underneath him and his knees were folded up to his chin. The wind was blowing gently, kicking up leaves and dirt. There was a smile on his face, but it felt wrong. _Fake_. He wanted to cry.

 _We're Destroyers, not Saviors._

The statement rang with truth. Allen couldn't save anything. His life was full of destruction. A snowy night next to a gravestone was a reminder of that. The wistful song dancing on the breeze taunted him with a broken promise, lost hope, and the tune of eternal sleep.

 _Even so, I still want to be a Destroyer who saves._

It sounded like a joke. A Destroyer only harmed those around him for his own selfish reasons. He only saved himself and brought misery. Allen was Destroyer, even if he hated it. A glance up from the lake showed him wreckage of a fallen Order and a blood red sky. Dead branches pointed to him, placing the blame on Allen, and it was no wonder.

The song silenced and Allen felt his heart tense. The pain left him as the image descended back into the depths of the lake. A shadowed face grinned at him. Allen stared back, trying to understand what those eyes were telling him, and didn't see the picture forming around them. It was the Ark.

 _Allen will play... It's Allen's music._

Now the piano was before him, and he could see his hands, one scaled and ugly, the other scraped and hurt. He was injured from a fight. He'd deluded himself into thinking it was to save his friends, _the Exorcists_ , but looking at the golden crest and the words he could read just as well as English he felt a voice in his mind whisper to him.

The Noah were the ones who'd attacked. Allen was going by instinct. He wanted to save them, but they lived on, still in pain and almost to the death of the Exorcists. But Allen knew: even if the Exorcists died in the process, he'd continue his mission to destroy the Noah and destroy the Akuma. He could not save.

 _The Fourteenth, I presume?_

A voice sounded, not from the lake, but from the air, as if there was someone behind him. Allen tore his eyes away from Mana's crest to see nothing but a lone dirt path behind him.

 _Well? Are you?_

It sounded angry. Allen felt a cold weight against his neck, but felt nothing there. He blinked, and a face was a foot above him, looking down into his eyes and a grimace judging his reaction. A moment passed, and he realized that Kanda was the angry voice, and he seemed to be waiting for something.

"Kanda?" The coldness pressed into his skin harder, and he looked down to see a blade _very_ close to his neck. Allen narrowed his eyes and felt annoyance bubble up inside him, as it often did around Kanda.

"Woah! Hey, watch it will you?!" Allen leaned back on his hands to get away from the crazed swordsman, but Kanda followed.

"Are you the Fourteenth?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"The Fourteenth? No! I'm Allen!" He snarled at Kanda, waiting for the suspicious look to fade.

"You're lying!" Allen almost choked at the renewed force. Was he bleeding yet?

"I'm not lying! I'm Allen! Come on, what's going on, Kanda?" Allen felt sweat break out on his forehead. Kanda ground his teeth together and leaned back slightly.

"Then what's that?!" That? Allen looked around the room in the hopes he'd figure out what Kanda was talking about. When he looked to the left, all annoyance he felt towards Kanda disappeared and he felt the urge to press closer to Mugen. Struggling to get up was Johnny, but there was blood trickling from his neck and his breathing was labored. Kanda saw this too, and pulled away entirely, jumping over Allen's bed to assist Johnny. Allen couldn't look away.

A headache came in strong, barreling through his fragile mind. Guilt weighed him down. No way. He couldn't have. He thought he had the Fourteenth under control!

 _What if I told you that when you become the Fourteenth, you will have to kill someone you care about?_

Was this what his Master meant? He would lose all control and slip away as the Fourteenth murdered his friends? That he wouldn't be able to win? This is why he'd run! They should have never followed, for death followed him. First Link, now Johnny was badly hurt.

 _Did you, as the Fourteenth, kill your Master?_

Allen knew Apocryphos was the one who killed Cross, he'd seen it, but he felt doubt fester in the corner of his conscious. When he slept, the Fourteenth took over and wrecked havoc on those around him. He was dangerous now. Kanda should have killed him first, instead of asking questions.

"Huh? Kanda? Allen looked up and saw Johnny in Kanda's arms touching his head. _He's not dead!_

"How's your head?" Kanda passed Johnny a towel, and Allen took a step towards the door.

"My head? Well, it.. It really hurts. Wait. Gah! It's pounding!" Allen cringed. This was his fault. He was a Destroyer, after all.

"Don't move. You're still bleeding." _No. Johnny shouldn't be bleeding. He should have been at the Order, and safe._

"B-Bleeding? Blood? Huh?" A pause. "Waah! Blood!" Allen took another step back. "That's right, I... Allen woke up and then-" Johnny looked away from Kanda and his eyes rested on Allen. "You weren't Allen. I mistook you for Allen!" Kanda stood and turned, glaring at Allen. Another step.

Johnny shot up, dropping the towel, trying to reach Allen.

"Stay back!" _I don't want to kill you._ Allen activated Crown Clown, his only chance of controlling the Noah and escaping. Feathers erupted from his arm and the wrapped around him like wings. "Don't come near me..." Allen staggered back until he hit the wall, cringed at the onslaught of pain coming from his headache.

Faintly, he registered that he was threatening his friends. Did Destroyers need friends? They probably killed them all.

 _One of these days I'll get big and leave this place. I don't need any friends._

"Will you run? Just abandon everyone again and run? In your state?" Allen laughed quietly while Kanda spoke, but nothing was remotely funny. Perhaps he was going mad. Just like Mana...

"Shut up, you fool! I'm not running away! I'm an Exorcist, fighting in my own way. And for me, this is the best way..." Allen couldn't hold back the tears. _Keep lying to yourself._ "I'm truly sorry Johnny."

What could an apology do? _I hurt him._ There was no way to redeem himself. He could find no salvation, as it never came to those who sinned at such a caliber.

"Allen-" Johnny approached Allen's bed, the only thing separating them. Allen wiped his tears with his right arm and held out his claw to prevent Johnny from seeing him. He could not come any closer, or else-

"Please. Don't come any closer. My awakening has begun! I have to be alone to fight it! Otherwise, this happens." Johnny smiled, despite the claw inches from his face.

"I'm sorry. I messed up." Allen clenched his teeth. Why wasn't Kanda doing anything? Couldn't they see Allen wasn't safe?

"No, it's just- I can't let you or the Order catch me yet!" Blindly, Allen reached for the door. It hurt to see Johnny's frame tremble. He wished he didn't have to be afraid of him.

"You haven't given up yet, Allen! I can see in your eyes you haven't given up. I'm glad. And I'm staying. I mean, I left the order to be with you." Allen blinked, ignoring his wet cheeks. _He left the Order? Why would he do that?_

"I'm going to stay by your side from now on. As Johnny Gil and your friend," _I don't need any friends._ "I'm going to help you." The resulting silence was thick with confusion. Allen didn't want help. The Fourteenth cares nothing for Johnny. He'll hurt him again if Allen couldn't get away. He never wanted to hear such words, and never expected them.

 _Did Mana love me, or- Did he..._

He was alone. He did not deserve love. The Noah had chosen the right person for a host, for Allen shouldn't expect that chance to live. Not if it was a threat to the lives of his friends. But still, some part of him wanted to survive. He wanted to be able to call Johnny a friend without risking his life. He wanted to live after the war, instead of being erased.

 _He was your friend. Aren't you sad? How come I'm the only one crying?_

Allen felt his face heat up under Johnny's stare. It looked like he didn't have a choice.

"Allen?" Allen tried to hide behind his hair. Could he be his friend without destroying Johnny? Could he save him from the Fourteenth, even while being near him? _No. It's no use. This is how I am now. But I won't give up! I want to be... A Destroyer that Saves..._

"Now grab him! Get the rope!

* * *

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	2. Black and White

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own anything. At all. I'm just enjoying myself.**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219_ _th_ _Night_

 **Day 2 –** Black and White _"The world as he see it is hell."_

* * *

Bak was starting to see how fantastic alternate dimensions were. With the arrival of the Ark, ferrying people across the world from Headquarters to the Asia Branch was now a feasible thing, and Bak was delighted to take advantage of this. The past two nights had been hectic while the science divisions of both Branches allowed no rest as they analyzed the intricacies of the alternate dimension and how it functioned. Bak rather enjoyed having the ability to travel thousands of miles in a minute, and the perks of seeing a certain Exorcist on the other side certainly encouraged him.

Stepping out of the Ark into the middle of the chaos that was Headquarters was becoming normal now, and hardly anyone turned their head. Bak adjusted the stack of files in his arms and shuffled past the overworked scientists to Komui's office, daring to hope Lenalee would be there serving coffee.

Fortunately, he didn't have to carry heavy stacks of mostly irrelevant files for much longer, as Komui's office was near by. With no hands to knock, he nudged the door open with his back and came upon the familiar sight of papers covering literally every inch of the floor and more scientists draped across desks staring blankly at numbers that really made no sense. Komui, however, was sitting in his chair at his desk with his head in his arms while Reever stood beside him, whacking him in the head and gesturing to the various piles waiting for Komui's stamps of approval.

Lenalee was absent, a fact Bak was disappointed with, but seeing as the exorcists had only returned from Edo in the early hours of the morning earlier that day, it was likely she was confined to the infirmary. From what he understood, the medical division was just as overworked as the science division, with everybody coming back injured. The newest accommodator, Arystar Krory arrived comatose, even before Miranda Lotto deactivated her Time Record, and Allen Walker had certainly taken a beating.

"Ah! Bak! You've come to take me away from this dreadful place! Please tell this slave driver to give me some rest!" Bak jumped back as Komui leaped from his desk, arms open wide to cling to him.

"You smell like you haven't bathed in days, Komui." Bak frowned, and skirted around the crying chief. "Reever, Shifu told me you needed the data we recorded from Walker's progress, so I took the opportunity to deliver it myself. For the sake of speed, obviously." Reever held out his arms for the files and snorted.

"You just wanted an excuse to use the Ark again. But yes, I do need these. Even though we're in the midst of figuring out the Ark, we need to document the changes in his Innocence and pass it on to the Matron. She's at a loss on how to handle his heart while there's an Innocence-filled hole in it." Reever chuckled and left the room, stopping to kick Komui in the leg to get him to get off the floor.

"How is Walker, Komui? He was pretty eager to leave last I saw him." Komui nudged his glasses and shuffled back to his desk. He reluctantly grabbed his stamp and approved a form before answering.

"I'm not sure he's woken up yet. Krory, Allen, Miranda, and Lenalee passed out almost as soon as they came home, and Lavi and Marie aren't in much better conditions. Of course, Kanda is perfectly fine, just confined to bed rest. Chaoji Han fell asleep for a few hours, but he woke not half an hour ago. I was planning on visiting the infirmary to formally meet him and check up on our Exorcists."

"Chaoji Han?"

"General Tiedoll was carrying a piece of Innocence that reacted with one of the survivors on the ship to Edo, and he was pulled into the Ark as well. He's an equipment type."

"Are you still going to go visit him?"

"Anything to escape this. Would you like to come with me, Bak Chan-chan?"

"Don't call me that. But I will. Fo threatened me to come make sure Walker didn't kill himself recklessly." Bak absently rubbed his head, still feeling her violent kick. Komui glanced around while stamping another form, acting nonchalant.

"AH, I see you require my assistance, Bak Chan! I suppose I shall come with you on this very important task that is not in this office! So nobody expect me to be here! I'm just too busy to stamp forms! I'm sorry, I'll miss you all!" Everyone in the room sighed and shook their heads, not bothering to do anything to contradict him. Komui grinned and darted out the door, stumbling slightly on his slippers.

Komui's gleeful mood calmed as they arrived at the infirmary, partially because he was concerned, and partially because the Matron heard him coming down the hall and lectured him about disturbing her patients. Bak slipped past them and looked around at the beds containing the injured teenagers that in the midst of recovery. He hadn't met some of them, but he'd familiarized himself with most of their files. To the immediate left was Noise Marie, whom Bak _had_ met before, and next to him was the comatose Arystar Krory. Kanda was next to him, though he look rather sour. Across from Kanda was an old man, probably Bookman, asleep and barely visible under the covers. His apprentice Lavi Bookman Jr. was beside him on one side, and the other side was someone new, who was looking around drearily. Lastly, the bed next to Lavi was Walker. All of them were connected to IVs and surrounded by nurses.

Komui came in and smiled at the man Bak had not met, introducing himself as the Section Leader of the Science Division, despite that being completely wrong. He'd been promoted to Chief Branch Director of Headquarters, and Reever Wenham had taken over his former job, but according to said Section Leader of the Science Division, Komui often referred to himself as such. Something about not wanting the responsibility.

Bak ignored the questions coming from the new Exorcist, and chose to observe Allen. He looked just as bad as when his heart was chewed out, and just as restless. It seemed they hadn't gotten around to washing him, for blood was in his hair and on his face. If Wong saw him now, he'd be panicking and fanning Walker while washing his face with a warm rag, as he often did for Bak when he had an outbreak of his infamous hives.

Though he didn't want to admit it, Bak was worried for the boy. He was only just a child, but he was _this_ injured and fighting a fight the rest of the adults couldn't handle. There were too many expectations on his shoulders, and the worst part was that most of them came from himself. He dedicated his life to saving Akuma, an odd concept to everyone else. He was convinced that his life only amounted to the amount of souls he saved. And still, he felt the terrible weight of guilt each time he failed to save a human. Allen Walker decided he wants to save the world, and the world was crushing him.

Like this, unconscious and broken, it was painfully obvious how small he was, and yet his position as an Exorcist made him larger and stronger than the average 15 year old. It was too much.

A sudden beeping caught Bak off his guard, and he flinched at the volume. Bak turned to look at a nurse questioningly who was approaching Allen's bed.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's just a warning that Mr. Walker's breathing and heart rate are picking up. It means he should be waking soon." Looking at Allen supported her words, but Bak felt that something was wrong. Allen's face was pale and clammy, and his mouth kept twitching. The nurse saw none of this as she turned off the alarm and changed some setting on the machine Allen was connected to.

The whir of gears was the first warning that something was wrong and suddenly the world went monochrome. Everyone in the room froze as all color disappeared in a blink of an eye. Lavi gasped audibly and was the first to look to Allen.

Allen was staring up at the ceiling intensely, his left eye swiveling around madly, but never resting in one spot for longer than a second. With a yelp, Allen sat up, bringing his left hand up to cover his eye, not yet aware of his audience.

"W-Walker?" Allen's head shot up, finally seeing where he was and he blinked. Although Bak had called out to him, he seemed busy looking around the room as if it were a puzzle to solve. Allen noticed everyone else was staring at each other or out the window. Allen couldn't ask what was wrong as another throb raked across his eye. This time, Komui called out, rushing over to Allen to see what was wrong.

"Allen, your eye! Are you okay? Are you in pain?" Komui paused before continuing. "Are there Akuma nearby?" He looked up nervously, but Marie shook his head.

"I do not hear any Akuma within the immediate vicinity." The nurse who had been next to Allen's bed leaned over the Exorcist and tried to lay him back down, but Allen waved her away wildly, while he folded over on his side. He made no attempt to answer Komui's questions.

"Komui. His eye did something similar during his stay in China. The curse has been acting on it's own lately," Bak spoke up over Allen's whimpers.

"And did everything change color?" Komui asked, still watching Allen in concern.

"No. It usually just- searches." The nurse attempted again to help Allen, but she couldn't move Allen from his spot on the edge of the bed. A whisper came from the quivering boy, and Komui winced.

"Please stop- I can't..." The fear on his face was clearly visible and Bak took a hesitant step closer.

Suddenly, the swiveling cursed eye froze and sank back into Allen's scar, bringing back color. Allen slowly sat up with his hand still over his eye. Seeing Komui's worried face and Bak looking serious behind him was unnerving.

"Did I disturb you?" Allen murmured, looking around the room apologetically. Bak was the one who broke the silence.

"Your eye, Walker, like in China, it activated on it's own. Although, this time it affected everyone in the room. Are you alright, Walker?" Allen smiled and slowly brought his hand down, revealing his normal eye.

"I'm fine now. I'm sorry I worried you. I thought with Crown Clown's new form, it would stop, but it's restless. Usually I can keep everyone else from seeing souls, but once before it escaped me. That was when we met Krory." Allen chuckled nervously under everyone's stare and Lavi coughed.

"I guess we're lucky there weren't any Akuma around, right short stack? The soul..." Lavi trailed off, thinking to himself and Allen frowned.

"Well," the Matron brushed her apron, "Visitors out. I need to take care of my patient." Bak and Komui looked like leaving was the last thing on their mind, but eventually Komui sighed and nodded. They couldn't exactly go up against the Matron.

As they filed out the room, Bak looked back to see Allen's smile while he spoke with the nurses. A smile that hurt to look at since it hid so much. Walker shouldn't have been smiling like he was clearly in pain, but Bak was starting to learn that that was just like Allen. Whenever he's on the verge of falling apart, he puts on a smile and keeps walking, even as the ground crumbles at his feet.

Even as Komui walked away to go see Lenalee, Bak did not follow. An urge came over him to do something to help. _Anything_. Finish analyzing the Ark, bring Allen's files to the nurses, end the war, anything to allow the teenagers they were sending off to their deaths to have a life again. To change the world from their personal living hell to a chance at living. Because what Allen saw through the curse every time he faced an Akuma was not a gift nor something to be coveted.

How many times had Allen wished, dreamed, _prayed_ , that he would have never received his eye and the ability to see the souls of Akuma and the lack of color in a dying world? How many times did the curse activate on its own, forcing Allen to never rest and save every Akuma? How many times had someone said, _"I wish I had your eye,"_ believing that it was such a blessing?

For the sake of Allen and every other child caught up in this war, Bak left the infirmary with a new resolve.

* * *

 **Apparently some have not heard the glorious news, and who am I to deny them happiness? SQ Crown announced that a new chapter of DGM would be published July 17th, and quarterly, meaning only four times a year. I know that only four times a year is like a knife to the gut, but I'd take four chapters of pure gold over the emptiness of no new chapters over anything. I can't read Japanese, unfortunately, but from what I could tell from Google translate, Hoshino confirmed it in one of her recent posts on Instagram ( Hoshino1000). She essentially said:**

" _[DGM] is now to be resumed, as there was an official announcement **(by SQ Crown)**. Some people might be disappointed in the quarterly magazine..."_

 **SO YES. COMPLETELY REAL. MARK YOUR CALENDERS, GUYS, JULY 17th!**

 **(Also, Hoshino apparently reads all the comments and encouragement on her Instagram and she thanks all of you, because we're the ones that encourage her T^T)**

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	3. Musician

**Disclaimer: Who eats chocolate chips and doesn't own D. Gray-man? Me!**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219_ _th_ _Night_

 **Day 3** – Musician _"I will continue to pray."_

* * *

 _Well that didn't turn out well._ Neah sighed and allowed himself to drop to the ground. The Earl's heavy sword wasn't exactly the easiest thing to lug around, and his body was already weak enough. Somehow, Neah felt like laughing at himself. What was he expecting? Going up against twelve Noah and the Earl? He may be strong, but it was pure dumb luck that got him this far. And now he lost his chance and would die alone wherever the Ark dumped him in Edo, his Noah memory fading away as the other Noah were reawakening.

But Mana was right; The Earl was insane. He'd lost the truth of the Akuma and the flood, and there was nothing to do but destroy him. Apparently 7000 years is too long for a man to hold such power. And to make sure the other Noah didn't end up with the title of "Millennium Earl," Neah had to kill them all, even though it hurt. He tried so hard to distance himself. Killing his family was too much, even if it was all for the sake of the promise he made to Mana, so Neah tried to pretend the Noah weren't his family. They had taken him away from his mother and were trying to corrupt Mana, so it's only logical Neah fights back.

If any of that was the truth.

He knew, deep down, that they were being merciful: allowing his mother to live, even though she knew of Neah's transformation; pulling Mana into the family for Neah's sake, even though he was only human; accepting Neah, even though he was the unprecedented Fourteenth Noah, and they had no idea how to treat this new family member. Even the Earl, in all his insanity, loved Neah.

And then there was Road. Neah saved her til last for good reason. Killing all the Noah felt like he was bestowing mercy, keeping them from the curse that was the Millennium Earl, but he couldn't think of Road like that. Killing Road was similar to killing a part of himself, there was no making up an excuse.

They were in an argument recently. Neah was trying to sneak Mana away, the first step in the plan to kill the Earl, but Road caught on and locked Mana away in a dream. She said she wouldn't let him go unless Neah gave up his idea to run away with Mana. Fortunately, she didn't know the rest of the plan. She said she couldn't see him go. No, they were too close to separate, and Neah _knew_ he was getting himself in too deep with her.  
Now, he supposed it hardly mattered. Even with the power of the Earl's sword, Neah fell before the might of the Earl, before he could kill Road. The last thing he saw was Road crying and watching him leave in betrayal. The Earl was standing behind her, oddly expressionless. Then the Ark door closed, and Neah was spirited away here, to rot in the streets of Japan.

If Cross were here, he'd be laughing at Neah, because that's just how that good-for-nothing was. Mana and Allen, however, would be panicking and telling him "You're going to be okay," and "Keep walking, Neah." No, maybe Allen wouldn't panic, maybe he'd play it off like it wasn't that bad and Mana was just over reacting, all while he struggled to treat a lost cause. That's just how his player was.

Neah grimaced, something underneath him uncomfortably digging into his spine, but he was just weak enough that he couldn't move. It would be a bad idea for Mana to see him like this. He didn't want his last memory of him to be Neah bleeding out in his arms. They're last goodbye was good enough. Allen and Cross would help him deal with it. Maybe even Bookman, if he was sticking with his apprentice. He said he needed to stay around to record the upcoming battle and it's outcome, and Neah wasn't sure all the news had been relayed to him yet.

A throb in his chest made Neah tense, more blood trickling out of his mouth. Couldn't death come any sooner?

Another throb announced something else, something Neah wasn't expecting. However, speak of the devil, and he shall appear...

"Neah? Oh God, you look like shit." Neah looked up through his bangs to see a door to his Ark in front of him and the head of the Player sticking out of the white, looking at Neah concernedly.

"Yeah, well I still look better than you. You always look like shit." Neah chuckled to himself and Allen stepped out of the Ark. "Where's Mana? I would think he'd follow you."

"Marian and Bookman are keeping him busy. He's very worried about you, but he has no idea what's happened. Neither do any of us, actually."

"Yeah? Well I'd explain, but I'm in a bit of a jam right now. It hurts to do anything, really, including talking." Silence followed that, and Neah didn't have the strength to hold his head up and look at Allen.

"Neah," Allen hesitated and Neah opened one eye to watch him. "I will preserve your memory. I'll keep it hidden, for decades if necessary. Until you awaken." Neah coughed and shook his head.

"And have you written over by my memories? I'd have to wake up and see your face every morning, the horror." Neah sighed, and shoved the Earl's sword aside. "Not to mention the guilt."

"Dammit, Neah, from what I can gather, the plan went wrong and you are the only one who can fix it! The Earl is irrational when it comes to you. You're his weakness! I can't risk you leaving and not returning for who knows how long in some stranger's body. Just transfer your memories to me!"

"And what will you tell Bookman? That you sacrificed yourself for the cause? You're _supposed_ to be indifferent! How is that going to go over? And Mana. Are you just going to tell him you're carrying around his dead brother's memories and if he's patient, I'll come back? He'd be heart broken that you gave yourself up! Even if you weren't supposed to make friends, you're his friend anyway. Don't make him choose." Allen was silent, looking at the blood smears on the ground where Neah dragged himself out of the Ark.

"I won't tell Mana. He'll believe some sorry sucker will wake up in a couple years as you and he'll have his brother back." Neah snorted.

"And Bookman? You can't hide from him, he'll want to know what happened to me and the rest of the Noah. For his _records_." Allen flinched and took a deep breath. He crouched down next to Neah, and pulled the massive sword next to Neah away, throwing it across the alley.

"I think we all know I'm in too deep anyway. I didn't stay impartial through out this whole mess. I mean, look at me, I'm already your Player. Anyway, I'll deal with him later. We need to hurry because I don't know how long Marian and Bookman will hold Mana back." Allen grabbed Neah's bloody hands, and held them up, waiting for Neah to instruct him.

"Are you sure about this? Do you really want to be a martyr for the sake of an estranged Noah?"

"Shut up, you. I promise I'll keep it safe. I promise." Neah shook his head and placed one hand on Allen's forehead.

"You're too damn nice." And then Neah whispered something under his breath. His skin darkened and the stigma formed, but a few seconds later, they both faded and Neah finished whispering. They both waited for some telltale sign that it had worked, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Is that it?" Allen leaned back, rubbing his forehead. "I have to say, I expected more."

"I've never done it before, obviously, so I don't know what's supposed to happen. Can I die in peace now?" Allen smiled, and looked back at the Ark door.

"You don't want to say goodbye to Mana?"

"I already did. Before the fight." Neah was starting to feel a little drowsy. Perhaps the spell _had_ taken affect. This was proven true when, suddenly, Allen's skin changed color, becoming the ashy gray of a Noah and blood spurted from his head. All seven stigma made an appearance and Allen moaned.

"Damn, that hurts." Allen was quiet for several minutes as they both waited for the Noah genes to recede and hide in the corners of Allen's mind. He groaned as he stood, wiping the blood off of him.

"Now leave me. I'm not going to last much longer." Neah showed his point by wiping away the copious amount of blood dripping out his mouth. "The Noah genes were probably the only thing keeping me alive this long, but now-" Neah grunted, dropping his head and breathing heavily.

"Fine. I suppose I'll see you again, eventually." Allen stood up taller, giving a final look to the dying man before him and took a step closer to the Ark.

"Don't remind me. And Allen?" Allen paused and looked back. "Never stop walking." Allen smiled bitterly and stepped into the Ark, refusing to look back. _You just said that because you wanted to say something cool as your last words._

The Ark closed, and Neah slipped away, leaving the land of the living _alone_.

Several minutes later, the Ark appeared again in the same spot, following with the sound of someone shouting. Mana Walker burst out of the gate, laying eyes on his dead brother. A broken whimper fell out of his mouth.

"Ne-" Mana's voice broke, and he fell to his knees, "-ah..." He crawled forward, wrapping his arms around his brother's head, and sobbing into Neah's shoulder.  
"This wasn't part of the plan! You said we didn't need to say goodbye, because we'd see each other again! Why did you lie?!" Mana shouted at the air, and ignored the three people watching him from the Ark. Allen was cleaned up, and looking regretful. Bookman was beside him, watching impassively with his arms tucked in his sleeves. Cross Marian leaned against the edge of the gateway, lighting a cigarette and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Neah." Mana whispered, hoping his brother was hearing him somewhere. "I'm sorry I made you promise. I didn't want you to die."

Unbeknownst to the living, floating above them, was the Millennium Earl, watching from the sky and crying. The Earl was without his shell and top hat, and looking rather bedraggled and unshaven. The usual glint of insanity was gone and he felt only sadness. He wasn't sure if the tears falling down his face was from the loss of a Noah, or from the loss of Neah.

He was determined not to find out.

* * *

 **Take my head canons. Just take them. I won't need them by the 17th anyway.**

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	4. Resolution

**Disclaimer: It's getting harder and harder to think up creative disclaimers. I'm tempted to just list off, "I, Abyss-chan, do not own the rights to D. Gray-man or any of the characters. That right belongs to Katsura Hoshino." But that's just boring.**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219_ _th_ _Night_

 **Day 4** – Resolution _"Please, God I hate so much. Give me power."_

* * *

"In fact, I do understand the Third Exorcist plan. It was a natural survival reaction." Standing on the head of a broken statue, the Earl and five Noah looked down on the ruined grounds that used to be the North American Branch. Staring back defiantly was Allen Walker, bound and sealed the Binding Wings of a Link. "However, we have a rule. We both must kill under the 'God' we've chosen to laud, and we must not veer from that course for any reason. The Third Exorcists are _my_ pawns now. Obey the rules, okay?" The Earl grinned at the angered expressions and stepped back into the portal of his Ark, the other Noah already gone. As he disappeared from view, his voice echoed over the Order.

"And you over there, the one always straying from the rules: We will come for you soon." Allen gritted his teeth, but couldn't do much more under the weight of the seals. "You know you can't live here anymore, don't you?"

The silence was deafening. Bak Chan, Mark Barrows, Regory Peck, and his assistant had fallen unconscious by the time the Earl left, and those remaining awake – Allen, Link, Reever, Johnny, Leverrier, Reni Epstein, and Master Zu Mei Chang – were all still frozen in place. Not through a lingering affect of the Noah's body control, but because of the devastating loss the Order just faced. Leverrier spoke into a golem.

"The Noah have left the premises. I order immediate reactivation of the North American Branch Ark gate. Send a Crow unit and a team from Division 3. Tell them at least four stretchers." When Leverrier stopped speaking, there was a pause, and then a reply.  
"Affirmative. Ark Active. Medical team already on standby."

"And the Crow Unit?"

"We are summoning them now." Leverrier waved the golem away and turned to Link. "Immobilize Allen Walker."

Allen looked at Leverrier with narrowed eyes, It wasn't like he was trying to escape, and the Binding Wings were too heavy to permit Allen to attempt to run anyway.

"I'm afraid I'm out of seals, sir." Leverrier scowled, and glared back at Allen.

Several minutes passed and Reever and Johnny crawled over to Allen, blocking him from Leverrier's view. Link stood over the three, but his eyes were on the place the Noah disappeared.

Just as the Medical team arrived, Allen felt the loss of adrenaline get to him and he blacked out. However, as they tried to approach Allen, the Crows arrive and circled around him, brushing Reever and Johnny aside. With whispered words and identical gestures, a barrage of seals covered Allen's wounds, keeping the blood from flowing out, but also locking all of Allen's limbs in a rigid position. If he were awake, he'd be completely unable to move himself.

"Excuse me, but may we put him on a stretcher?" A nervous nurse asked, flinching when a Crow turned to look at him.

"That will not be needed." The nurse nodded jerkily and shuffled away, pointing out Bak Chan nearby. The Crows floated Allen in the air in the middle of them, and brought him to Leverrier, followed by Link. Before Leverrier could give any instructions, Johnny called out, his eyebrows narrowed worriedly.

"Where are you going to take him?" Leverrier looked at Allen with a wry smile.

"He's betrayed the Order. He will be imprisoned and tried like all traitors are."

* * *

Komui supervised the transmission from Leverrier and decided to meet them at the gate. From the moment the Noah made themselves known, all connections and communications were cut off from the North America Branch, and Leverrier was the first contact in the past two hours. He wasn't exactly gracious with the details, either, but Komui knew Reever had been there with Johnny hours beforehand to learn about the Second Exorcist project. He would fill him in.

If he was still alive.

As far as he was aware, there had been no Exorcists on location when the Noah arrived, but Link had been nearby with Allen on a mission, and he called in to report that his charge – and the two Seconds with him – were missing. Discontinued contact with Kanda on his mission on the other side of the world was a concern as well, and Komui couldn't help but feel they were related to the incident with the Noah as well. Especially since the location was in the room of Alma Karma, the possibility that Kanda would wind up there was high, if only thanks to Noah intervention.

Komui and half of the science division rushed to the Ark room, if for no other reason than to make sure Reever and Johnny were okay. For several minutes, there was hardly any activity, but suddenly, Leverrier stepped through, quite the sight. His usually pristine uniform was dusty and torn, and blood trickled down the side of his face. Still, the smirk he usually wore was still there and it was unsettling. Next came the medical response team from Division 3, carefully carrying five stretchers, four of the occupants being unconscious. Komui winced when he saw Bak Chan's bloody face come into view just before the nurses rushed him to the infirmary. Behind Bak was three members of the science division that were recently relocated to Headquarters, and the scientists that knew them left Komui to follow the nurses. Then came Master Zu Mei Chang, though he seemed to be speaking to the nurses and smiling weakly.

Komui breathed a sigh of relief when Reever and Johnny came out of the gate, looking fairly disheveled, but safe nonetheless. Reni Epstein came in looking very unlike her usual self. Her hair was down and frazzled, there was a cut on her cheek, and she had a look of deep regret in every line of her face. Komui didn't watch where she went for Reever came over, walking straight to Komui.

"Are you alright, Reever? We had no idea what was happening over there." Reever rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Johnny, noticing his eyes were still on the gate.

"Yeah, we're fine. The building collapsed on us, but a Third threw up Protection Wings at the last second and protected us. We escaped with just nicks and bruises. Allen, however..."

"Allen? How did he know to go there? Link couldn't find him. And all the Thirds were on missions."

"They were brought by the Earl with Allen and Kanda. It was awful. They brought back Alma and Kanda was trying to kill him, but Allen intervened, and-" Johnny died off, a sob caught in his throat. Reever looked back at the Ark.

"Look, there he is now." Komui looked up and suddenly felt anger rise in him. How dare they! What could Allen have possibly done to warrant this? Komui ran to the group of Crows, but Link came from behind them and stood before Komui, keeping him from getting any closer. Komui snapped to Leverrier.

"What's the meaning of this, Director? Surely there should be no need to bind him like this!"

"On the contrary, Chief Lee, Allen Walker his guilty of betraying the Black Order and is being punished accordingly. Treason is a serious crime, after all." Leverrier turned to say something to a guard standing nearby, but Komui wasn't finished.

"Does this have something to with the Fourteenth?" Komui ignored the fact that the Fourteenth was secret from the rest of the Order, and waited for Leverrier's response. Leverrier only smiled and spoke to the guard, choosing not to explain himself. Komui felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw Reever standing beside him.

"Let us tell you what happened, boss." They watched Allen be carried away before Reever went on to explain what happened.

* * *

It had only been a night since the attack on the North America Branch, and already, most of the Order knew what happened, and tensions were high. Komui heard the whispers saying that Allen was a traitor, and the Thirds were evil, and Kanda was dead, and he frowned. How could people so fickle? Only days ago, Allen – though suspicious because of the watchdog following him – was one of the most adored members of the Order, renowned for his manners and deeds. Now, people mocked him and made remarks about where his loyalties really lay: to the Earl. They used excuses like, "He said he fought for the Akuma the whole time," and "He controlled the Ark while it was crumbling, and the Ark was a weapon of the Earl's." It put Komui on edge.

The only good thing was that Lenalee had not yet returned from her mission, though she was scheduled to arrive that afternoon. The rumors were awful, and his sister cared so much for her friends, that Komui wanted to protect her from them, even if they weren't against her. While he threatened the boys who came close to her, Komui knew she lived for her friends and for him, and he couldn't let her know that overnight, three of those she cared deeply for were out of reach.

Allen was locked underground along with Timcanpy (with whom they struggled to fit in the cell with Allen), and there was no news of what would become of him. He was still sleeping and his body was in a precarious state. Overall, the only good news was that he seemed to be fighting off the Noah inside him. Komui was told that Kanda went with the dying Alma Karma through the Ark to an unknown location, and they were unsure he was dead or alive, and unless Allen spilled, Kanda would forever leave the Order's records. Later, they discovered that Bookman and Lavi were missing as well, lost in the heat of battle, but their bodies were not found. The Third with them was gone as well, and Chaoji was discovered deathly ill and has yet to recover. He was being transported from the location of his mission, but he was still far from a gate, and they were not sure how stable his condition was going to be withing the next day. These events combined were a hard blow to the Order, and to Komui. He only wished he could hide it from his sister.

Komui had Lenalee on his mind since he saw Allen being carried in by the Crows with seals covering almost every inch of him and floating around him. She often had been dragged back to the Order in escape attempts similarly, and Komui couldn't help but note the similarities. It made him feel weak and out of control. He'd become the chief to prevent thing like this from happening to children, and look what load of good he was doing!

Komui was merely standing outside of Allen's cell, looking in through a small window in the door and watching the doctors scramble to clean and close the wound inflicted by Kanda's sword. However, the Crows refused to remove the seals from half of Allen's body, claiming he was a threat. It wasn't very easy-going. It reminded him of the first time he'd reunited with Lenalee at the Order, before he'd even become Chief.

He'd just been transferred from the Asian Branch by Bak when he heard the news that a young Exorcist attempted to escape _again_. Komui crept into the infirmary late that night and almost cried out at the scene of his little sister, strapped to a bed and bandaged. Her wrists were rubbed raw from the struggle to get away, and there were bandages around her arms and legs, for who know what reason. She was asleep, but a frown marred her tiny face and there were deep bags under her eyes.

That morning, Komui revealed himself and stayed with her for as long as she needed him. Her escape attempts ended, and he'd been lucky enough to never see his sister tied or confined anywhere ever again.

The same feeling of hopelessness and anger could be felt now as Komui looked through that small window. The Order was a cruel and twisted society, and he'd been naive to think he could make a difference. With the number of corrupted officials and uncaring higher ups there was, only God could do anything to help them now.

God had never been there to help his sister, and he only watched as children fought in his name and for the sake of the Earth, but Komui could only beg and _pray_ that he would save Allen Walker from whatever fate was coming to him. One being with Innocence and a Noah, additional to the prophecy Destroyer of Time, could only mean a short and tormented life followed by a painful death: the last thing Komui wanted for Allen Walker.

While the moon shone through a barred window and onto the sleeping figure of Allen, Komui prayed.

 _Please, God I hate so much. Give me power to save the Exorcists from a fate they don't deserve._

 _Please._

* * *

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	5. Promise

**Disclaimer: Whoops, looks like I'm not actually Katsura Hoshino. Oh well. I guess that means I don't own D. Gray-man...**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219th Night_

 **Day 5** – Promise _"Don't stop, keep walking."_

* * *

Finding Allen's dead body by his tent was a disappointing sight. Yes, Allen had gotten fairly old and was likely to die soon anyway, but Mana had hope it'd be in an accident, not from some jealous clown beating him to death. Mana could only sigh and scoop up the small body and carry it away to be buried. How was this going to change his act? Allen had played an integral part in wooing the audience. He supposed this was the sign that he should leave tomorrow and perform solo for a while, as he was thinking about for the past week.

Finding a place where the ground wasn't too frozen to dig up or completely buried in snow was difficult, and it wasn't like he kept a shovel around for occasions like these. Perhaps he could have asked someone if they had a shovel, but carrying around a dead body tended to discourage people.

Eventually settling on a place under a tree where the snow was shallow, Mana carefully put Allen down next to him as he set to work on digging a hole with his gloved hands. It was going to be cold and hard work, but it was the least he do for his companion of many years. He could only dig so far, however, as the ground was rather hard and frozen, so Mana put Allen in the slight dip and covered him with dirt. There was a chance that when Spring came again, someone would discover a rather unpleasant surprise, but what could he do? Besides, decomposition would've gotten pretty far, he hoped. **(1)**

As he gathered loose dirt in his hands, Mana didn't notice the child coming up the hill and standing at distance behind him. He was understandably surprised when a voice spoke up as he covered Allen's stomach.

"Are you sure it's dead?" Mana turned around and saw a small child looking at him with narrowed eyes and standing with his hands in his pockets, as if it was completely normal to be spending time with a stranger as they buried their dog. Mana looked back down at Allen and nodded.

"Yes, he's dead." He wouldn't have buried a suffering dog alive. Mana dropped another pile of dirt into the grave.

"His bones are all broken." Ah, the child must have seen the odd angles Allen's legs were bent at. It wasn't very pretty. Mana didn't see a need to answer, and continued working under the watchful eye of the boy. Eventually, he finished, and smoothed the dirt into an even mound. When he started searching his pockets for a rubber ball he wouldn't be needing anymore, the boy spoke up again.

"I bet Cosimo killed him. He's jealous cuz people like you better. He bullies anybody who's better than he is. His act stinks, and everybody's better than him, but he's good at stuff like this." Mana wondered for a moment whether the boy had seen Cosimo kill many dogs, for how else would he know that Cosimo was good at "things like this?" Of course, Mana had come to the same conclusion. Most people in the circus business ignored each other, never going out of their way to be rude or helpful. Cosimo seemed to be the exception, for he shouted at anybody who dared exist in his presence.

"It's alright, he was an old dog and wouldn't have lived much longer." Mana brushed his hands together to get the dirt off as the child came to sit next to him, his eyes no longer on the clown, but on the fresh grave. He hummed to himself and then glanced at Mana.

"Don't ya want to get revenge or somethin'?" Mana thought about that, but there wasn't much point.

"If I take revenge, the troupe leader will throw me out without paying me." Mana almost smiled at the clear disapproval coming off of the boy in waves. "I'm just an outsider anyway. Tomorrow, when Christmas is over, I'll move on." The boy seemed to accept this and they sat together in silence. A question came to Mana's head.

"By the way... Who are you?" It seemed a little odd the child came over to watch him bury a dog and then carried a conversation with him, despite the "lone wolf" look he was obviously trying to pull off.

"Just an errand boy. I've served you your dinner before," he replied flatly, still looking at the grave.

"Hmm. I'm no good with faces." It was starting to get a little awkward now. "Oh. Where did _you_ get all those bruises?" Mana plucked his glove off and licked his thumb as the boy scowled. He grinned and reached out to wipe the boy's face with his spit and the kid screeched, pulling away.

"Eugh! Don't wipe your spit on me!"

"It's disinfectant." The boy looked at him as if he were mad – which perhaps he was – and began harshly wiping his face with his sleeve. Mana frowned and thought back to what the boy said earlier. "Did Cosimo beat you up?"

The flinch gave away his answer faster than the boy could tell him to shut up.

"Do you have any friends?" The boy growled and put his face in Mana's.

"Shut up!" He pulled away quickly and brought his knees to his chest, turning his scowl to the grave. "One of these days, I'll get big and leave this place. I don't need no friends."

Honestly, the look on his face was absolutely pitiful, even if the boy was acting tough. Mana remembered he had his clown outfit on (since he'd not been able to change into normal clothes before he went to bury Allen). Taking his other dirty glove off, Mana squished his cheeks together and leaned in closer to the child, in an attempt to make him laugh.

"What are you doing?" He asked, deadpan.

"Wasn't it funny?"

"Sorry, I don't like clowns. I hate them." _So why did you come sit next to one of your own volition if you hate them so much?_

"Well I hate children that don't laugh." The boy drastically rolled his eyes and turned his body away, crossing his arms. They were both quite for a moment until the boy reluctantly turned back and dropped his arms between his legs.

"Why," he spoke, talking in a whisper, "Why don't you cry? He was your friend. Aren't you sad?" Mana glanced at the grave and stood up. The child didn't turn his head. Mana quickly pulled a rope out of one of his many hidden and very deep pockets and quickly fashioned a loose noose to loop around his neck. The child looked up just as Mana threw the other end over the tree and looked down again.

"I'm so sad I could die." The boy gaped at first, and then frowned heavily.

"Stop that!" He was still looking at Mana distrustfully when Mana decided to answer honestly.

"I can't cry. My tears dried up years ago. They're gone for good." It was clear he didn't understand Mana's answer, but Mana didn't expect him to. He was only a child, after all.

"That's weird." For a few minutes, he was quiet and Mana set to work on untying the noose.

"What was his name?" Before Mana could answer, he continued. "Yesterday I pet him and he licked my hand. His tongue was warm."

Things were starting to fall in place.

"So what? How come I'm always the only one crying?" His face scrunched up in an attempt to hold back tears, but they spilled over anyway and Mana smiled gently. The boy didn't come over to socialize with a stranger burying a dog, but to watch the dog who'd been kind to him be buried. It was likely he didn't often get such attention, judging by the look of him and his attitude.

Now the child was crying loudly, hiccuping while he closed his eyes and sobbed. Mana slowly stuffed the untied rope back into the folds of his costume and took a step closer.

"I see. Allen was your friend." Mana let the child cry his heart out until there was nothing left to shed. His head was resting on his folded arms, which sat on his knees, and he wasn't looking at Mana nor the grave.

"Would you like to come with me?" The boy didn't move.

"Where?"

"I don't know yet. I mentioned I'm leaving tomorrow, correct? Would you like to come with me? Leave this place?" He kept his silence, though he seemed to be thinking. "Tomorrow morning, I'll be stopping by the troupe leader's tent for my pay and then I'll be heading east. Will you meet me at the east entrance three hours after the sun rises?" Finally the boy looked up, but he still didn't say anything. He chose to stare at Mana blankly, as if he were inspecting him. Mana stared back, curious what he was thinking. Suddenly, he stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets again, like they were when he arrived. And without a word, he walked away!

"Child?"

"Don' call me a child!" Mana watched him continue walking, and he shook his head.

"I'll wait for you, but only for so long!" The boy looked back for a moment, for once not trying to look threatening, and then he went into a tent. Mana shrugged to himself.

He'll see what happens tomorrow.

* * *

Mana knew for a fact that the troupe leader woke up early. It seemed to be some ingrained habit, for the man often complained of not getting enough sleep, but never being able to sleep in. Mana was also an early riser, and so saw him trudging around the circus grounds every morning, waking up those trying to sleep so he wouldn't be alone in his misery. Today, Mana waited for him to finish his routine wake-up calls before going to his tent to inquire about his paycheck.

Having been satisfied by waking up everybody exceedingly earlier than usual that morning, he was quite approachable, and already had everything ready for Mana. He gave a found fair well: apparently he'd taken a liking to Mana, if perhaps it was only because of his abilities as a clown.

Mana returned to his tent, keeping an eye out for the boy as he walked. They'd parted on an odd note yesterday, and Mana still wasn't sure the boy would come or not.

He took an hour to pack his uniform away and gather his props. In that hour, he made sure to fold the cot and blankets to make it neat for the next carny to inhabit the tent. He stopped by the kitchens, the only building in the circus grounds, connected to the bathing rooms. The woman serving breakfast cheerfully wrapped a large meal for him at his request. When she asked if he needed anything else, Mana thought of the child and asked for another meal, the same size. Maybe he wouldn't be able to eat it all at once, but he looked so small, he'd definitely need plenty of food. And if he didn't show, that meant another meal or so for Mana that he wouldn't have to pay for.

Eventually, it was the third hour after the sunrise, according to his pocket watch, and he made his way slowly to the east entrance. The walk was short, even though the grounds were rather large, and Mana had yet to spot the familiar face. He gathered up his things in a spot against a tree, and looked out at the road.

Time went slowly, as it often does when you're waiting for something, but still the boy didn't arrive. Nearly an hour had gone by, and Mana was reluctant to leave. It was becoming obvious his offer had been rejected, but something told him to stay. He was hopeful the child had perhaps forgotten the time or place or was delayed by something and was making his way there.

At the hour and a half mark, Mana stood up and started to stretch. He made a big show of stretching his legs and hoisting up his pack, which in reality wasn't all that heavy. He was about to reach for the sack of food he'd gotten that morning when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Looking rather timid – which was a strange look for someone like him to have – was the boy. He didn't seem to see Mana standing to the left by the tree. He did seem to be searching for something, however, and Mana dared to hope it was him. Before Mana did anything, he watched, quietly, and saw the child frown and his jaw clench. He was probably trying to look angry, but from Mana's eyes, he looked defeated. He probably believed Mana left without him. Hoping to spare him from feeling depressed, Mana cheerfully walked out from under the tree with his things.

"You're coming then?" Mana couldn't help but smile when the boy almost jumped out of his skin. His head snapped to Mana's direction and Mana frowned. The boy's face was discolored, much worse than it was yesterday, and he looked very dirty. Something had happened.

"You waited." Mana had been too busy studying the bruises and injuries to notice the wide eyes and slightly open mouth. He blinked and wiped the frown away, smiling brightly.

"Of course I did. You said you wanted to leave this place, after all." The boy gaped.

"But... You waited for _me_?" Although it was an awful thought that the boy didn't expect someone to wait for him, it was very satisfying to see the brief happy expression, before a forced scowl took over. "You shouldn't have waited. What if decided I didn't want to go?"

"It's a good thing you _did_ want to go, or else I would have waited for you for nothing!" Mana caught a blush before the boy looked at his feet. "Come on, let's go. We've got to cover some distance before we stop for lunch." Fortunately, the boy followed without question, only looking back at the circus once.

They were both quiet, something that seemed to happen a lot between the two of them. Mana struggled to think of something to start a conversation. When an idea came to him, Mana stopped in his tracks and looked down.

"I never thought to ask! What's your name, child?" He stopped too, his eyes narrowed and his lips in a tight line.

"I don' really have one. Most people called me Red, cuz of my hair and-" He stopped himself, and refused to say anymore. Mana sighed.

"We can't have that. Red isn't a name. Hmm, do you have a name you want to be called?" Mana should have guessed that there would be some difficulties with the child, but not having a name wasn't something he had anticipated. Of course, "Red" shook his head to the question, determinedly staring at the road ahead and not at Mana. "We'll have to pick something. Oliver? Simon? Conrad? Joshua?" Each name was quickly shot down with frowns and gagging noises, so Mana thought harder. Then he had it.

"Oh, I know! Allen! How does that sound?" This time the boy did not react, and only looked at Mana with one eyebrow raised.

"You want to name me after your dead dog?" Mana narrowed his eyes.

"My dead dog? I don't have a dog."

"Well duh, it died." The boy rolled his eyes.

"Child, I've never had a dog. And I would never name anybody after a dog!"

"You buried it yesterday! I was there! I saw you do shows with him!" Allen crossed his arms.

"Oh, yes, I found that poor animal outside my tent yesterday and decided to give it a proper burial. It wasn't my dog, I didn't even know it's name!" Mana was rather confused as the boy's jaw dropped and he fixated his eyes on Mana's, as if looking for something on his face. "So do you like the name Allen?"

"I- Fine. If you wanna pull some weird prank on me, go ahead. I don't care if you call me Allen or Bob!" He growled. Mana tried not to let himself be phased.

"Alright, Allen it is." Mana started walking again, looking back to make sure the bo- _Allen_ was following. After a few minutes, Mana heard a mumble behind him.

"Did you say something?"

"You never told me _your_ name." Mana blinked once and than laughed.

"Of course! I must be going senile these days." Mana ignored the "I'll say" coming from Allen. "My name is Mana. Mana Walker." Mana waited for some reply, but Allen just nodded and started walking again.

Several hours later, long after they'd eaten lunch, Mana saw signs noting how close they were to the next town, and he started to Allen, when he realized Allen wasn't beside him. A turn of the head, however, showed him that Allen was laying stomach down on the road, his arms and legs spread out. Mana rushed over to help him up.

"I'm tired and I'm cold, old man. When are we going to get there?" Mana tsked, and held out his hand.

"First, I'm not an old man. I hardly have any gray hair. Secondly, we'll get there when we arrive. Just keep walking. Always keep walking, Allen, remember that."

While the child stared at him, Mana grabbed his hand and pulled him up. When he touched Allen, though, he was suddenly surprised by the odd texture he felt instead of skin. Instantly, Allen gasped and pulled away, falling over again on his bottom and staring wide eyed at Mana. Mana tilted his head.

"Look at you, falling again. Is that why you're so bruised up today? Come, lets not stall here. As you said, it's cold." Allen didn't bother moving. He stayed stock still, watching Mana's every move.

"Are you hurt, Allen?" Slowly, Allen shook his head, but he continued to stare. "Then what is it?"

"You touched-" Allen couldn't seem to continue and clutched his arm close to his chest.

"Look, you're cradling your arm. Let me see it and make sure you haven't seriously injured yourself."

"I'm not hurt!" Allen scrambled off the ground and looked firmly into Mana's face. "Why aren't you scared?"

"I am a bit scared, because you won't tell me what's wrong and you might have something wrong, but something tells me that isn't what you're speaking of."

"Of course not. You..." Allen went quiet again and looked down. Mana saw some expression flash across his face and suddenly an arm was thrust towards Mana. When he looked down, he saw red, scaly flesh and black fingernails. In the center of his hand was a gem-like green cross. Mana felt some flicker of recognition in the back of his mind, but it passed quickly.

"And this doesn't hurt?"

"No, but-"

"If you're sure. Come, let's get out of this snow." Mana stood up and held out his hand again, waiting for Allen to take it. Allen didn't move for what seemed like a full minute, but eventually he slowly placed his left hand in Mana's, his eyes looking cautiously at Mana's face. Mana wrapped his larger hand around Allen and started to walk, keeping the boy beside him. For a while, Mana could feel the stiffness of the child next to him, but then he started to relax a little, his hand no long forming a fist within Mana's hand.

"You're weird. Probably mad." Mana laughed at this, and smiled.

"Probably. Don't worry, you're pretty weird too. We can be weird together." Allen didn't answer.

And they kept walking.

* * *

 **(1) I felt really guilty Googling how long it takes for a dog to decompose, but I did it anyway. Depending on the size of the pet and the weather, it can take 2 weeks to maybe 3 months for an animal to be reduced to bones. Well, if it's not frozen in ice or buried in mud... (This is one of those times where people would judge me for my search history)**

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	6. Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, or Pandora Hearts, or Clannad. I mean, none of this is relevant to D. Gray-man, since they aren't even mentioned in the story. But isn't it neat how my ownership of D. Gray-man is the same as those anime? Non-existent.**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219th Night_

 **Day 6** – Love _"I love you Yu." "I know."_

* * *

 **1815**

It was always a disappointment to come back from a mission empty handed. This was a fact Alma knew well, for her missions always seemed to be flops these days. The Finders would gather some sort of information or tip off, Alma would be sent in, and it turns out what they expected was Innocence was really some scamming gambler taking advantage of the youth. Not even any Akuma to destroy. So Alma had become used to the pinched and angry look on Denholm Leverrier's face. She'd accepted that her bad luck was getting in the way, but since she couldn't do anything about it, she found she stopped caring about keeping Leverrier happy.

"This is the fourth mission you've been sent on that hasn't yielded desired results."

"And how is this my fault?" Alma brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"One might assume there was something you were doing to sabotage the mission." The corners of Leverrier's mouth fell as Alma gaped. "Therefore, you shall be paired with other Exorcists for your missions until this streak breaks." The look on his face dared her to speak, but she held back.

"Of course, _sir_. I'll comply willingly for the benefit of the Order." Alma bowed and spun on her heel. She walked straight out of the room and down the hall, unsure where to head. She knew where she would _like_ to go – or rather go see – but her understanding was that _he_ was not yet returned from his long term mission.

The Chief Branch Director here in Headquarters was starting to really get on her nerves, and whenever he did something aggravating, Alma always went to a certain place to calm down, but without the presence of Yu Kanda, there wasn't much point to going to his room.

Yu was sent out almost a month ago to join with his former Master, Devon Conroy in smoking out a Noah in the hilly plains of the Irish countryside. He made no promises of returning nor any sort of fond farewell, but he was just like that. It was one of the reasons she loved him. His lack of goodbyes meant he was going to try his damnedest to get back to her, and it reassured her more than any "I'll be back soon" could do. She'd wait for him.

But for now, she needed to go find a punching bag that could take her pent up frustration.

* * *

Let it be known that Noah were tricky bastards. They enjoyed making things difficult, and Yu was rather pissed off about it.

That evening, Yu and Conroy had finally found a lead on a Noah's human identity, and they decided to investigate. Well, General Conroy tried to keep Yu at the inn while he went out, but Yu refused to sit around like he'd been doing for the past month.

They came to a rowdy pub where there was a rumor of a fine gentleman disguising himself and drinking with the local rabble as if he were one of them. It wasn't much to go on, but the identity of the gentleman disguising himself was one that was on the Order's watch list. Edmund McArthur, adopted son of the wealthy McArthur family who spent weeks traveling with some friends on and off. This was suspicious by itself, but not enough for the Order to concern itself with alone. The other factor was the striking appearance that looked _very_ similar to the face of a Noah that attacked a group of Exorcists ten weeks ago.

Yu had been instructed to keep a distance from that particular Noah, should he ever meet him, for if he got within range of the Noah's mouth, he would be killed within the hour by a deadly parasite controlled by Dark Matter. General Conroy carried a hand-held Innocence canon over his shoulder which gave him the advantage of a ranged attack and he sported a normal broadsword on his hip, which was why he was sent, and Yu's speed and and skill with the sword was good enough for him to tag along, for sending in only one person, even if he _was_ a general, with only a ranged weapon would mean almost definite failure and death.

They came to the pub just after the sun set, hoping to get a glimpse of the suspected Noah, when there was a flash of white light around them and they were suddenly in a muddy field, overgrown with Lotus flowers, and it was daytime once again. They were unable to move. A voice murmured behind them.

"I hear you were making inquiries about me." Yu flinched as a hand brushed his neck. The General beside him was calm.

"And who would you be?" Conroy asked. The voice laughed.

"You already know, don't you? Ahh, it's been a while since I got to hunt Exorcists. What, nine weeks now? Ten? Too long, anyway." Yu gritted his teeth and tried to reach for his sword.

"Ah, ah, little Exorcist. I'm not in the mood to fight, I just want a little entertainment." The voice moved away from Yu. "You are a General, no?" Conroy didn't reply, and Yu wished he could turn his head.

"Dear Edmund, why don't you hurry up and let them play? Our pets are hungry." Another voice, much farther away, called out, the grin on his face detectable just by his words.

"Of course. But how about we level off the playing field a bit. If the Order was willing to send only two to go confront a Noah, when five of theirs died by the same Noah, then they must be something special." With out a warning, Yu felt something wet and long trail up his neck, and suddenly pain racked his neck. With a grunt, the control over him left and he dropped to the ground. Faintly, he registered his name being called by his Master.

While the pain was great, Yu could still move and stand, so he did so, wobbily on his feet and his eyes were closed tightly. When he opened them, Conroy was on the ground also, shaking and squirming in the mud as Yu had been doing moments before.

"My parasites will distract you as you fight to the death with these level twos. I hope you're ready. Call them, Desire." Yu pulled his Master up, shuddering at the stabbing pricks moving down his back and across his shoulders. He looked up and drew his Innocence, seeing a flash of white light in the sky and suddenly three level twos were floating there. Yu wanted to scoff. Was this the best the Noah could do?

However, he realized he was far too confident in his ability to fight in his state, for seconds later, the Akuma were already in his face and licking their lips. The blast of a canon surprised him, but threw the Akuma before him aside, saving him from its sharp teeth.

Yu looked at his Innocence and tried to activate, but his mind was hazy. _Mugen!_

In the mean time, Yu fell back, retreating a few feet from the Akuma as he glared at his weapon.

"Mugen! Activate!" A green glow erupted from the blade and Yu sighed in relief. He looked back at the fight and saw his Master holding off an Akuma that looked like a fat clown with claws for fingers. It's face was wrinkled and painted grotesquely. Behind it was another, with gleaming red scales that oozed some black liquid. The Akuma that first attacked was far away, struggling to un-stick itself from the mud, but the multitude of spikes on his wide shoulders were buried deep. Kanda went for the scaled one.

Thinking it probably wise to not touch the black liquid, Yu jumped in to slash the Akuma in half, but Mugen hardly did any damage, only knocking some scales of and creating a shallow gash in the Akuma's head. He tried to leap back again, but he felt woosy and a jolt of pain came from his stomach, as if something were eating its way out of him.

Conroy pushed the Akuma he was fighting with away from him with the normal sword, but had to quickly turn to the right and fire at the first Akuma that finally freed itself. The sudden movement floored him, so Yu had to think fast and stab the incoming Akuma in the gut. It was moving too fast to stop and impaled itself all the way down Mugen, and then crumbled to dust. The scaled Akuma and the clown one were left.

Yu felt far too weak to continue, and disgusted with having trouble fighting level twos. But the pain was strong and his vision flickered. He hardly noticed when the clown Akuma clumsily walked to him with it's arms and legs bent at odd angles and slashed Yu's chest and arms diagonally. Yu stumbled back, and could see his blood start to pour out. Fortunately, no Akuma blood had entered the wound, and the virus was not present.

Conroy came falling out of nowhere, knocked back by the recoil of his canon when it killed the other Akuma. Yu could barely see through his scrunched eyes and unreliable vision, but the clown Akuma shuffled awkwardly over with its deformed limbs and slashed his Master's head off in one blow. The now bloodied corpse fell back, its arms falling to the sides and blood gushing out in even spurts, for the heart was still beating. The Akuma turned back to Yu. Yu vaguely wondered what the Noah were doing.

"Ah, he's still alive? Now for the killing blow, Exorcist!" Time seemed to move slowly all of a sudden. Yu could see the painted star on the Akuma's ugly face get closer, but the hand of his decapitated Master was blocking the rest of the body from his view. If he looked beyond the Akuma, he could see a woman. Someone familiar...

 _Do you know this flower? Reaching up to heaven..._

Yu looked up at the sky, still acutely aware of the parasite wigging in his stomach devouring him slowly.

 _They're lotus blossoms. They're born in the mud, yet they reach for heaven and fill the world with their fragrance._

The claws descended on him, and for a moment he could feel the cool metal press against the skin of his neck before it cut through and and went deeper.

 _I love you, Yu._

There was a sudden spike of pain and his head moved without him telling it to. Above him, the Noah watched Yu's head roll off his body and hit the mud. Yu saw the heavens.

 _I know._

* * *

Alma jolted in her bed and quickly sat up. Sweat dripped down her face and her breathing was heavy. She heard Yu's voice in her head.

 _I know._

* * *

 **I'm not used to writing Karma...**

 **So that last part there, I thought you should know that back in the late 1700s in France, a guy called Maximilien Robespierre set out to build a "Republic of Virtue" and guillotined those that challenged the goal, even killing some friends. Tons of people were being beheaded left and right, and at one point, a guy did an experiment. He was going to be beheaded, so he told his scientist friend to come watch, front row seat, because he was going to blink a lot as he was being beheaded, as long as he can. Sounds weird, yeah, but the results were crazy. So Guy #1 who's getting beheaded goes up to the guillotine and starts blinking and Guy #2 is watching. AFTER Guy #1 is beheaded, he continues to blink for 6-10 more seconds (can't remember the exact count). It was a test to see if the person being beheaded lived past the point of having his head cut off and felt the pain, because people were starting to doubt how humane the guillotine was anymore.**

 **Anyway, cool story I learned in school. I thought about it while beheading Kanda.**

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


	7. Blame

**Disclaimer: ONE DAY AWAY CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WOULD I BE THIS EXCITED ABOUT FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENS IF I WERE HOSHINO? NO, BECAUSE SHE ALREADY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS.**

 **This is going to be a continuation of chapter 3, okay? Okay.**

 _D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219th Night_

 **Day 7** – Blame _"Mana D. Campbell, it's all your fault."_

* * *

The Earl watched Mana stumble back into _his_ Ark with Neah's dead body hanging off his back, and leave Edo. He felt oddly numb towards Neah's death, for he had been like a son to the Earl, but even now, he wasn't sure where the tears were coming from and they certainly weren't welcome. His family was dead, all but Road, and he knew it was Neah's fault.

The Earl floated down from his perch in the sky to the bloody alley where his sword lay, shoved to the side. Honestly, he didn't want to touch it. Having always been _his_ weapon, it never occurred to him it could injure his family, but Neah seemed to have figured that out and used it to his advantage. It'd become the death of eleven Noah.

The Earl stared at the streaks of blood still covering the flat side of the sword, signs of once being buried in the bodies of those he'd come to love. It was Neah's fault. Everything. How could he? Would the Fourteenth Noah return and do this again? Or would the Earl be able to give him a second chance and allow him to live with his true family once again.

Perhaps all of this could have been prevented if the Earl hadn't been so trusting. He gave Neah the chance to stay with his family, even after the transition, in the hopes it would please the Fourteenth, and earn his trust, for the Fourteenth memory had never existed previously, and would have no memories to reassure Neah that the Noah were on his side. The Earl permitted Mana to know their secrets, and sit at their table, and though the mother was mostly oblivious, he allowed Neah to return to Mana and Cornelia when time permitted. It was all foolish, really. The Earl should have remembered that humans corrupt everything they touch.

Of course, it couldn't have been his dear Neah's fault! Even as the Earl watched over Mana as he cried into the shoulder of his dead brother, he admitted there was a promise he held Neah to. Neah, unable to deny his brother, allowed Mana to influence him, and turn him against the Noah.

This was Mana's fault. And the Earl would get his revenge.

* * *

The Earl decided to leave Road alone in her dream world instead of taking her along. She was still grieving, obviously, and the Earl knew she'd been close to their estranged Noah. But there was a double side to that reason as well. Road was close to Mana, almost as much as the rest of the Noah. She enjoyed visiting Neah's human family and inviting Mana to dinner, and the Earl could not bring himself to let her take revenge with him, in the fear she would side with Mana and leave the Earl completely alone.

It was easy to locate the Campbell household, for the Earl had gone to fetch Neah from his family to join the Noah in eating dinner and completing a mission. He could even say he'd become close friends with Cornelia during his visits, finding her to be a rather pleasant human, for what they were worth. It'd be sad to see her die.

Although the Ark was rather unstable that night, the Earl used it to arrive in Ireland quickly, a portal to Neah's house already pre-established long ago. The house was a cream white and two stories, far too big for the small family of just three, but the head of the Campbells left a great sum of money to his wife after his death, and she dealt it responsibly, choosing to get rid of all but one servant and manage the house herself, easy for a mother who's children were usually off traveling together. It was in the middle of a quiet countryside, in a village named Straffan. The grounds were large, formerly a farmhouse, but the fields grew into disrepair and only long grass grew, save one tree in front of the house, planted by the Campbell mistress fifty years ago.

The Earl had once hoped to possess it, but Cornelia was a stubborn woman, and refused to sell. The Earl didn't hedge her, because he knew that one day she'd die, and he could convince Neah to give it up for the Noah's use, but it seemed he would be coming upon it much sooner than he'd anticipated.

The Earl was surprised to see Cornelia standing beneath the one tree, looking up at the dawning sky. The tree was dead, and all the leaves were long blown away. The Earl landed behind her a ways away, and then walked to her, leaning on his cane.

"Madam Cornelia?" She jumped and whipped around, her hair frazzled and tears on her cheeks. Then she smiled, and quickly brushed them away, pulling her shawl closer to her.

"Oh, Earl Millennium! I did not hear you coming. And I must admit, I did not expect company at such an early hour."

"I'm afraid I bring some sad tidings this morn, and I decided you should be the first to know." She was in reality the last to know of what happened, but she did not need to know such things.

"Please, would you like to come in for tea? I'll have my maid put on a kettle for us while we speak."

"No, I wouldn't trouble you. I have business to manage concerning this news later, and I cannot stay long." Cornelia nodded and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked like she hadn't had a wink of sleep.

"Does this news have something to do with my sons?" The Earl raised a brow, and rubbed his thumb on the head of his cane.

"Tell me, have you already heard the news?" The Earl already knew she hadn't, but the flustered look on her face was quite the sight.

"No! I wouldn't presume to know what happens in your company, but-" She trailed off, and glanced at the rising sun. "I would call it a mother's intuition, Milord. I know not what has happened, but I could only feel dread last night that something was happening to one of my sons. Please, tell me, are they alright?" The Earl took a moment to pause, perhaps enjoying making her wait. However, she didn't seem to need for him to speak, as her dread was all over her face already.

"I'm afraid your son has died this night. Neah and most of my family was attacked, and only my niece Road and I survived." Her face went pale and the grief was plainly visible. The Earl himself had to force his face to stay under control, for the rage flowing through him was threatening to leak out and betray his identity.  
Cornelia dropped to her knees, and brought her hands to her face, trying to hide the rivers of tears erupting from her eyes. She was quiet, however, and was very quick to pull herself together. Her voice quivered as she spoke.

"And Mana? Where is my only remaining son?" Another tear fell and she bit her lip.

"I know not the whereabouts of your son, but I do know he is still alive. I expect he should be coming here soon to bring you the news. I suppose I beat him in that regard, for I was already nearby." Cornelia breathed out as if she had been holding her breath, but her eyes closed.

"I apologize for holding you, but I appreciate that you have brought me this news. If you would leave me, Earl Millennium, for I have a son to grieve." Her eyes remained closed, and thus she missed the grin spilling over the Earl's face.

"I'm afraid I have one more thing to do." Her eyes opened, red rimmed and tired.

"And what is... that?" Cornelia noticed the grin and the strong grip the Earl had on his cane. He snickered as he brought the cane up and plunged the foot of it into her chest, pushing her against the dead tree and shattering her ribs. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to scream. Her tired eyes were suddenly wide.

"I'm afraid you and young Mana led Neah astray and you brought the death of my family upon me. You shall not live after such a crime." She was clearly confused, but the Earl pushed his cane harder, shoving the tips of her ribs inward, puncturing organs in the way. The blood spilling from the corner of her mouth proved her lung was definitely damaged. Growing tired of her startled and horrified eyes, the Earl brought the cane up and hit her harshly against the head. She drooped and her eyes closed. She was likely not yet dead, but the injuries were far too large to recover from without surgery, and the Earl would be assuring she would stay in this empty field as long as she still had air in her lungs.

He stared at her face, suddenly soft and lighter in death, and the Earl found her beautiful. A tragedy that beauty could be gifted to such despicable creatures such as humans. It must have been twenty minutes that the Earl stood there, lost in his memories of Neah, when he felt a disturbance in the air and discovered the presence of Mana. He knew he would arrive eventually, seeing as the only place he could go was to his mother. The Earl predicted this, and made his move first. Now Mana arrived and the Earl could almost feel the pain coming from him as he spotted his mother's body. The Earl's shell melted out of him, covering his human form and growing a top hat over his horns.

"M-Mother?" The Earl turned.

"Now all is as it was." A tear fell down Mana's cheek. "Mana D. Campbell: This is all your fault."

" _This is the tragedy you invited."_

* * *

 **Sooo, I just found out I sorta ship AdamXCornelia? I was just writing her death scene, and then I started to think of Sheryl and Tricia, and then BAM! I ship it. But she's dead, so nothing will come of it. Yeah, just go ahead and call me weird, alright?**

 **Abyss-chan out~!**


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